COVID-19 cases are rising at a steepening pace compared to the week of Christmas in December as the state tabulated 3,640 new COVID-19 cases over a two day period in the data update on Friday. To compare, near the end of December, the DHSS was reporting just over 200 cases for a two-day period. In addition, there were two new resident hospitalizations and one Alaska resident death reported. The Alaska resident who died was a male resident of Hoonah-Angoon and Yakutat Combined in his 70s.
There are currently 70 patients diagnosed with COVID-19 who are hospitalized and four additional patients who are considered persons under investigation for a total of 74 current COVID-related hospitalizations. Six of these patients are on ventilators. The percentage of patients currently hospitalized with COVID-19 is 5.6%.
The current statewide alert level – based on the reported number of cases per 100,000 people over the past seven days – is high (red) at 880.8. To compare, on December 22nd, the statewide alert level was high (red) at 143.4 cases per 100,000. For boroughs and census areas: 27 areas are currently at the high alert level.
Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Anne Zink took to social media saying:
State Epidemiologist, Dr. Joe McLaughlin in a COVID-19 science ECHO on Wednesday said:
“The United States is currently experiencing a steep rise in cases due to the Omicron variant. CDC reported out on Monday, roughly 80% increase in cases over the last seven days. They reported out yesterday that they are estimating that about 95% of those cases are likely to be Omicron cases. One of the things that is notable about the current wave is that a higher proportion of the positive cases that we’re seeing appear to be in children than we’re typically used to seeing. Maybe it’s not so much as true cases as it is actually with hospital admissions. You can see that hospital admissions are blowing up in all age groups and the bottom line there, the yellow line, is hospitalizations among children aged 0 to 17 years. The rate is actually as high as we’ve seen throughout the pandemic.”
The DHSS does, however, say that protective measures against the Omicron variant remain the same as for the other COVID variants. That includes layering protective measures, such as masking, handwashing, physical distancing, and testing to help reduce transmission of the virus.